


Санкт Петербург

by leopharry



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Briefly featuring:, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Flirting, Japanese language, M/M, Maccachin - Freeform, Saint Petersburg, Schmoopy Victor, Valentine's Day, Victor is very excited to show Yuuri around, Yakov Feltsman - Freeform, Yuri Plisetsky - Freeform, and one instance of, for aesthetic purposes, forgetful yuuri, mildly spicy Katsudon, victor spelled with a 'k', Русский | Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:16:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10031171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leopharry/pseuds/leopharry
Summary: It's Yuuri's first full day in Saint Petersburg, and Viktor wants to spend it together.(a.k.a. the EXTREMELY LATE Valentine's Day fic I started forever ago and then got caught up researching.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> All translations can be found in the notes at the end, but hover text has been applied where necessary. The hover text only gives a translation of words or phrases, and the transcribed spelling for places.
> 
> Prepare yourselves for more notes than fic. I had to split them up between the beginning and end notes. My bad. I got a little carried away.
> 
> Hi. I'm leopharry, and I love the Russian language. I've never actually been to Russia, but the top city on my bucket list is in fact Saint Petersburg. So when these two characters whom I love SO GOD DAMN MUCH decided they were going to relocate themselves there, I immediately set out to do as much research as physically possible. Hence why this Valentine's Day fic is being posted well after everybody's already made themselves sick eating marked down Valentine's Day candy. Really, this fic was more of a gift to myself. I love Saint Petersburg, and I love Viktuuri, so. Happy belated V-Day to me.
> 
> I spent more work on this fic than I have on literally ANY OTHER PIECE OF WRITING I'VE EVER DONE. That includes college essays. I wish I was kidding. I am not kidding. I took a virtual tour of Saint Petersburg on Google Earth. I spent so, soooooo much time on Google Earth. I can promise that every single place Viktor pointed out actually exists, in the exact order in which he mentioned them.
> 
> God, I want to go to Saint Petersburg....
> 
> But, notes first.
> 
> 1\. As I'm sure we're all aware, Russia is not exactly what one would call a safe space for LGBT+-identifying people (not that I would say the US IS, but. This fic takes place in Russia. Sorry if that was worded poorly. It's 3am now). Following the nature of the show, however, and for the sake of romantic fluff, I opted to sort of idealize a perfect-world scenario. I apologize if this offends you, but as an LGBT+-identifying person, I wanted to imagine what that would be like, to have a nice romantic Valentine's Day stroll through one of the places in the world I most want to see.
> 
> 2\. While I usually spell Viktor with a 'c' on posts on my [tumblr](http://leopharry.tumblr.com/), I chose to spell it the way I did in this fic for purely aesthetic reasons. The creators have chosen to spell his name the way they did, and I respect that. But I'm idealizing again. Sorry.
> 
> 3\. The system I used for using Russian/Cyrillic (the Russian alphabet) spelling versus English spelling was this: If it was followed by an English word (like river, or palace, or cathedral, etc.), I used the English alphabet. If it was something Viktor would translate or explain for Yuuri, I used Cyrillic. Obviously this was not a perfect system (probably should have just spelled out 'Yelagin Island,' my bad), but. Cyrillic is such a beautiful alphabet. I just really wanted an excuse to use it. Prior to this, I hadn't had a chance to study Russian for a long time. I kind of missed it. I'm sorry for any confusion. I only used hover text for the first usage per word (I'm sorry, but formatting this has been insane, and it's 3am now, and I am so done), so, if the hover text doesn't work, or if the hover text would help you get through this fic easier if it was used more frequently, please let me know, and I'll take care of it as soon as I get the chance.
> 
> 4\. At one point in the fic, Viktor waves down a car and asks the driver to give him and Yuuri a lift. This is, apparently, something that people do in Russia. Taxis there don't quite work the same way they do in most other places. For economical reasons, at one time it was something that unemployed or underemployed citizens did to make extra money, and it held over to now. Now, if a taxi company is called, it is possible that an "unofficial taxi" (read: a private citizen in their private car) will come to pick you up. You can read all about it [here.](http://www.st-petersburg-essentialguide.com/taxis-in-st-petersburg.html)
> 
> 5\. Also, I read a headcanon that Viktor lives on Vasilevsky Island, and that is definitely something I can get behind. So whenever they go home, or walk anywhere from home, they're heading to/starting from a location roughly in the center of Vasilevsky Island. (If you want to Google Maps it, I certainly have no room to judge.)
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy this super late Valentine's Day fic! I had a lot of fun writing it, so I hope you have a lot of fun reading it!

Sunlight was filtering through the curtains, dust motes floating aimlessly in the beams, buffeted by currents unfelt and unseen. The neon red of an alarm clock cast short shadows in the dark corner untouched by the sun. All was silent and still when Yuuri slowly peeked his eyes open. All was calm, and peaceful, and warm. He wriggled down further into bed and pulled the sheets up to his chin, closing his eyes, breathing deeply. This is how a person should wake up, he thought hazily. To lazy sunlight and enveloping warmth.

Then he opened his eyes wide and took the scene in again.

Sunlight poured in through the window, and Yuuri thrust himself upright, scrabbling for his glasses on the side table. He shouldn’t be waking up to sunlight. Sunlight meant late.

He shoved his glasses up his nose and looked at the clock, and oh. Oh no. He was right. He was late. He was very, very late.

He threw the covers over, kicking at them wildly, and scrambled to the edge of the bed. A stray sock on the floor, kicked off and dropped there at some point in the night, caught his foot at a bad angle, and he slipped sideways into the side table, narrowly avoiding sending the lamp and his alarm clock crashing to the floor. He clutched at his hip and hissed through his teeth. That was probably going to leave a mark.

He didn’t have time to worry about that, though. He hurried to the closet, shoving his shirt over his head and off as he went, where his clothes--half still boxed up from travel, half haphazardly put away--shared space with Viktor’s things, and he tore open the first box he got his hands on, throwing shirts and balled up socks to the floor in his frenzy.

He had just gotten his hands on what felt like a pair of practice pants when a loud, cheerful voice from behind him rang out, “Good morning, Yuuri!”

The screech he let out was inhuman, and he jumped almost a foot in the air. He whipped around to see Viktor standing there, dressed in casual clothes, looking for all the world like nothing had just happened.

“Viktor,” Yuuri gasped out, clutching his chest. “What are you doing here?”

Viktor had the decency to look puzzled. “This is my home, Yuuri. Well, our home now, but--”

“I mean, shouldn’t you be at practice? We’re late!” Yuuri said, then turned back to the box and started rummaging through it again.

“I went and got some practice in earlier this morning,” Viktor said cheerfully. “Just to keep Yakov from getting too angry with me. But I let you sleep in. You only got here yesterday morning, Yuuri. You need a little time to acclimate.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said simply. He straightened himself up and turned to look at Viktor again. “Thank you.”

Viktor just smiled. “Of course. And now, since I practiced earlier, I have the rest of today free. Why don’t we spend the day together?”

Yuuri smiled too. “Okay.”

Viktor beamed at that. “Excellent! Then get dressed. We can go get breakfast, and then we can find something to do from there!” And then with all the boundless energy he always seemed to have, he hurried out of the room, leaving Yuuri to stand there, half naked, a little taken aback, and mostly pleased.

 

* * *

 

When he was fully dressed, his teeth and hair brushed, and he’d folded all the clothes he’d thrown in his excitement and put them back in their box, he exited his and Viktor’s room and went to the kitchen, where Viktor was standing at the coffee pot, looking at it thoughtfully. When Yuuri approached, Viktor looked at him and smiled a familiar wide, beaming smile. Yuuri loved that smile, and he returned it with a small shy one of his own.

“There you are,” Viktor said, and he held up a bag of coffee beans. “I had some coffee when I got back from practice, because it’s a little cold today, but I didn’t make a lot because I didn’t know when you would wake up. I can make you some now, if you want.”

Yuuri’s smile melted to a warmer, gentler one. “Thank you. But it’s okay. You said it was cold today, so we’ll make some when we come home instead.”

Viktor chuckled and put away the bag.  “Whatever you want, Yuuri.” Then he turned and approached Yuuri slowly, his expression soft, and didn’t stop until there was barely an inch between them. 

This closeness used to terrify Yuuri. It used to set his palms to sweating and his cheeks to flushing, used to make him tremble with nervous anticipation. He couldn’t handle the carefree way Viktor could just exist in someone else’s space, couldn’t fathom the idea of doing that himself, no matter how much he wanted to. But with frequent exposure, which only grew more common the more they had gotten to know each other, Yuuri wasn’t afraid of it anymore. His palms didn’t sweat, his cheeks didn’t flush. And though he still trembled a little, and though the anticipation was still there, it wasn’t out of nerves, but for something much different.

Viktor just looked down at him and smiled. He closed his eyes, and tipped his head up to place a gentle, lingering kiss on Yuuri’s forehead. Yuuri let his eyes fall shut, and he sighed. In the pause, when Viktor’s soft lips held their place in between Yuuri’s eyebrows, he set a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder before trailing it slowly down his arm, taking Yuuri’s hand and lacing their fingers together. Then Viktor pulled away and took a step backward, holding tight to Yuuri’s hand, squeezing it.

“So,” he said, ending the quiet moment between them. By his tone one would think he hadn’t just set Yuuri’s heart racing. “Are you ready to go?”

 

* * *

 

They said goodbye to Maccachin and headed down the apartment’s stairwell to the ground level in silence. They walked outside, where a thin layer of snow crunched, packing under their feet, and the wind immediately started tossing their scarves and pinking their noses and cheeks. Yuuri hunched into himself a little, and pulled his hat further down his ears. Viktor led them down the street, and when they reached the corner and Viktor stopped them, Yuuri finally had to ask.

“So, where are we going?” 

Viktor, looking up and down the street, replied, “There’s a cafe I like a short drive from here. They make excellent lattes, and their syrniki are the best I’ve had that weren’t homemade.”

Yuuri smiled and dug his hands into his pockets. “I’m glad I said no to the coffee, then.”

“Hm,” Viktor hummed in agreement, and they fell back into comfortable silence, as Viktor continued to watch the traffic in all directions.

“Hey, Viktor?”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“Waiting for a--aha!” Viktor cheered, then started waving. Yuuri watched as a car pulled to the curb in front of them, and Viktor had a short conversation with the driver, who nodded, and Viktor grinned and opened the front passenger’s side door. “Let’s go, Yuuri.”

Confused, Yuuri climbed behind him, and scooted until he was sitting in the middle.

“This man is going only a couple streets away from where we’re going, so he’ll give us a ride,” Viktor said happily, as the man carefully directed his car back into traffic.

“Do you know him?”

“No.”

Yuuri was taken aback. “Is. Is this a taxi?”

Viktor shrugged. “Sort of.”

“...What?”

Viktor smiled at Yuuri. “It’s like a taxi. It’s common here. Usually I take the metro, or a tram, or I’ll just walk, but it would take too long, and I’m hungry. So you wave down a driver, and they’ll stop, and if they want, they’ll drive you where you want to go.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said simply. “But isn’t that dangerous, getting into a stranger’s car?”

Viktor frowned. “Sometimes, I suppose. I wouldn’t do this by myself. But you’re here! And this would be a lot faster than a tram.”

Yuuri hummed. He was pretty hungry, now that he thought about it. And if Viktor said it was all right, well. He was the native here. Yuuri supposed he would have to trust him.

“Well, okay. If you’re sure.”

Viktor nodded and smiled, then turned to the driver and struck up a conversation in Russian. At one point, Yuuri heard Viktor give the driver their first names, and the driver said what Yuuri thought was “Bogdan,” but the rest was beyond Yuuri’s understanding, so he watched out the window.

Or he tried to, anyway. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuuri kept sneaking peeks at Viktor. Throughout their entire drive, even as he spoke with the driver, Viktor wore the same serene smile, his eyes bright, his expression easy. 

Yuuri was pleased, but a little confused. 

The Viktor that Yuuri had come to know in Japan was much more demanding than this Viktor seemed to be. That Viktor would have insisted on practice--had, in fact, insisted on practice almost every day, unless Yuuri was seriously ill. No amount of time zone adjustment had ever deterred Viktor from getting Yuuri to practice, at least for a little while--not that Yuuri minded, of course; he was almost always willing to practice, even if he grumbled about having to wake up early. But for Viktor to insist he take a day off was unusual.

Though Yuuri was confused as to what brought this on, he didn’t want to ask. Viktor seemed happy, and so Yuuri was happy, and he decided he’d rather take it at face value than risk ruining it.

 

* * *

 

They pulled to the side of the road next to a river, and Viktor pulled out his wallet. He and the driver spoke a little more, Viktor handed him a couple of bills with a “спасибо,” then turned back to smile at Yuuri briefly before getting out of the car. Yuuri clumsily said it too, and the driver smiled and waved at him as he followed Viktor onto the sidewalk.

“See?” Viktor said, grinning at Yuuri as he led them down the street. “Perfectly safe.”

Yuuri smiled at him, and followed in silence.

When they got to the cafe, Yuuri looked at the sign Viktor had pointed out to him. He’d tried to teach himself a little bit of Russian in the month between when Viktor went back to Russia and when he himself had left for Russia, but he hadn’t managed to learn much, and he struggled with the alphabet. He squinted at the sign, slowing to a stop, and Viktor didn’t notice until he had reached the stairs leading down to the entrance.

“Yuuri?” he asked, coming back to stand next to Yuuri and looking at him curiously. “Are you okay?”

“I’m trying to read the sign,” Yuuri said, squinting.

Viktor waited patiently, watching Yuuri try to puzzle it out with more amusement than the situation really warranted.

“Uh...” Yuuri trailed off. “Визе?”

“Very close,” Viktor said. “Бизе.”

“Oh, yes,” Yuuri said disappointedly, looking at the sign again. “I always get the ‘b’ and the ‘v’ letters mixed up.”

“Well, you were really close,” Viktor said, throwing an arm around Yuuri’s shoulder and leading him down the stairs to the door. “I’m impressed. When did you learn the Cyrillic alphabet?”

Yuuri’s cheeks tinted pink, and he said, “When I decided I would move to Saint Petersburg with you, I tried to start studying Russian. I thought it would be easier to get by here if I could at least read it.”

Viktor’s eyes were wide in surprise, and when Yuuri turned to look at him, he just shook his head, smiling. “I did the same thing when I decided to go to Japan,” he admitted, as he opened the door and led Yuuri inside. “But the Japanese alphabet and the Russian alphabet are very different. I think learning to read Russian might be easier.”

Yuuri laughed. “I think you’re right. But you got by pretty well,” he said. “You learned Japanese very quickly.”

Viktor shrugged, but Yuuri could tell he was pleased by the compliment. It was always exciting, complimenting Viktor. For someone so used to winning and being praised for his talents, Yuuri had always assumed compliments wouldn’t affect him so much, and yet, every time Yuuri had the chance to, Viktor was always pleased. 

“And besides,” Yuuri added, as a waitress led them to a table. “Reading something and understanding what you read are two different things. I can’t understand the Russian I can read any more than you could understand the Japanese you read before you learned it.”

Viktor sat down across from Yuuri, and the light from the window reflected in his eyes, making them shine. “Well, if you’re going to be here for a year, I guess you’re going to have to learn Russian. It’s only fair,” he said, his tone teasing.

He meant it to be teasing, but Yuuri was serious when he answered, “I wouldn’t mind.”

Viktor beamed. Yuuri would have sworn it made his heart stop.

 

* * *

 

Viktor had to explain a lot of the menu for Yuuri, who tried valiantly to read it on his own, but was stumped when he realized that even if he could read it, he didn’t know what a lot of the menu options even were. In the end, he chose an omelette; it wasn’t his favorite food, but it was something he knew, at least. Viktor had ordered something Yuuri had never heard of, and had made Yuuri promise he would try it.

With their orders placed, the menus removed, and their drinks supplied, Yuuri now had nothing else to focus on but his surroundings. He couldn’t think of any other word to describe it besides ‘comfortable.’ There was a variety of different seating arrangements, from dining room tables to armchairs around side tables. The decor on the walls was homey, the light fixtures something you would see in a living room, and it smelled like warm breads and sweet pastries. 

“I can see why you like it here,” Yuuri said. “It’s very nice.”

“You haven’t even tried the food yet,” Viktor said. “If you like it already, you’re really going to like it once you try the food.”

Yuuri smiled. “I’m excited, then.”

Viktor smiled at him, and fell silent so that Yuuri could continue to look around. He looked at the other diners, and the more of them he looked at, the more a pattern started to emerge.

“It seems like there are a lot of couples here today,” he remarked, offhanded, still looking around.

Viktor hummed. “Really? Are there?”

Yuuri turned to look at him then. Viktor had his elbows up on the table, and his mouth was covered by his hands, but Yuuri could tell he was grinning. Confused by the reaction, he opened his mouth to ask what was so funny when he was interrupted by their waitress bringing them their food. She and Viktor had a brief conversation, and Viktor said, “ Спасибо,” and the waitress walked away, giving Yuuri a polite smile too as she went.

“頂きます ,” Yuuri said, grabbing his fork. Viktor repeated the formality, and Yuuri forgot all about what he was about to ask as he dug into his breakfast.

 

* * *

 

At one point while they were eating, Viktor paused him.

“Here, Yuuri,” he said suddenly, cutting off a piece of his breakfast and pushing it onto his fork. “Try this.”

Yuuri reached to grab his fork, but Viktor pulled his arm back. Yuuri met his eye, and saw that he had a goofy grin on his face. So that was how he was going to be, huh? Well, two could play at that game.

Yuuri leaned over the table, closing his eyes and opening his mouth wide. When Viktor carefully placed the fork in his mouth, he deliberately wrapped his lips around it and pulled off, humming appreciatively and exaggeratedly as he did, never opening his eyes. He felt a little silly, being so vocal about it, and displays of provocation were still something that made him uncomfortable and embarrassed, but it was worth it when he opened his eyes to see Viktor staring at him, wide eyed and pink cheeked. He hadn’t even withdrawn his fork, completely entranced by Yuuri.

“That’s really good,” Yuuri said simply. “What is it called, again?”

Viktor shook his head, and said, “Uh. They’re called  сырники. They’re uh. Like pancakes, but made with curd cheese, I think. You can put different toppings on them, but I like mine with honey.”

“Hm,” Yuuri said, taking a sip from his coffee. “Delicious.”

Viktor just stared at him for another moment, his cheeks still slightly flushed, and Yuuri could see in his eyes that he was trying to figure out if what had just happened was intentional, or if Yuuri hadn’t known what he was doing. To keep up the pretense, Yuuri put his cup down and innocently asked, “So, what did you want to do today?”

Viktor dropped his scrutinizing gaze and shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t make a plan. I thought we could get breakfast, and then you could figure out what you wanted to do. It’s your first full day in Saint Petersburg. Is there anywhere you’d like to go? Anything you’d like to see?”

Yuuri took another bite of his omelette and thought about it. Saint Petersburg was a big city, world renowned for its history and architecture. And of course he was curious about it, had been curious about it for a long time. This was Viktor’s home, and had been for most of his life. He knew of the famous places, the historical sites, the tourist spots. But he wasn’t a tourist here. This, for the foreseeable future, was his home. He would see the landmarks in time. Today, he wanted to do something different.

“Well,” Yuuri said slowly. “You grew up here, right? If you want, maybe we could walk around, and you could show me some of your favorite places. I’m going to be living here for at least a year, so I think that would be a good way to start getting to know my way around.”

Everything he had gone through in his life, every minute of anxiety and uncertainty and dread and discomfort, every action, regretted or not, that had brought him to this point was worth the way Viktor’s entire face lit up, his eyes bright, his smile so wide and genuine it almost hurt to look at him.

“Okay, Yuuri,” Viktor said, and the affection that Yuuri heard in his name was enough to set his heart alight. “We can do that.”

 

* * *

 

After they paid for breakfast (well, Viktor paid, he had insisted on it), they returned to their apartment (by the metro, which took longer, but which Yuuri was much more comfortable with) to get Maccachin.

“We won’t be able to bring him with us on the metro, or on a tram,” Viktor explained as he hooked Maccachin’s leash to his collar. “But that’s okay. We’ll take him to our first stop and then drop him off after so he can rest.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed readily, excited to get started. 

They went back downstairs, Maccachin barking excitedly. Viktor led them outside, and headed in the opposite direction of where they had gone earlier.

“Where to first?” Yuuri asked.

“The most important place to me in all of Saint Petersburg,” Viktor said gravely, holding a finger up. “Remember this route, Yuuri. It’s very important.”

“O-okay,” Yuuri stammered, then fell silent.

The smile that won over Viktor’s face after that should have been hint enough, really, but by the time they reached their destination, Yuuri had made sure to make a good mental note of their route. When they got there, his face fell.

“I thought you were showing me where something important to you was,” Yuuri said flatly.

“The rink is important to me,” Viktor said cheerfully, gesturing widely. “To both of us! This is where we’ll spend most of our time, after all. Come on, let’s go in and say hi! And I can give you a tour while we’re here.”

Yuuri swallowed thickly, then followed Viktor inside.

 

* * *

 

“And through here is the showers and changing rooms. The women’s are over there,” Viktor said, pointing. Yuuri’s attention was caught between looking wherever Viktor pointed, looking around at everything else, and keeping a watchful eye on Maccachin, who was sniffing in the corners. “Down there are lockers. I already put a lock on one for you, I’ll show you when we come to practice tomorrow.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Yuuri said, surprised by the thoughtfulness.

“Hm,” Viktor nodded, smiling. “And through here....” He led Yuuri through a wide double door before dramatically raising his arms. “Is the ice!”

Yuuri’s eyes went wide when he saw it. He had, of course, seen it in bits and pieces on TV and in photos over the years, but no camera angle could truly capture how large the rink was, how cavernous the building was, the way even the quietest scratch on the ice echoed above them in the rafters. The far wall, made entirely of glass, let an abundance of natural light soak the ice, giving it an ethereal golden sheen, and Yuuri watched as someone came to a stop, ice shavings flying from under their skate, and it looked like glitter as it sprinkled gently back to the ground.

“It’s pretty,” Yuuri said breathlessly, looking around, trying to take it all in. If this was where Viktor had practiced his whole life, Yuuri could understand why he would spend so much time here.

Viktor’s expression softened. “The windows face south,” he said quietly, moving a little closer to Yuuri. “So even in winter, when the days are really short, there’s always some sunlight in here.”

“Wow,” Yuuri said slowly, turning where he stood to look around behind him. There were rafters, and above them, two more floors up, were additional seats, so that it could hold a sizable crowd. On the seats behind them, several skaters were sitting comfortably, taking a break, eating lunch and chatting amongst themselves. He had just turned back to face the ice again when a gruff, weathered voice called over to them. “Vitya! What are you doing here if you’re not going to practice?”

“Hi, Yakov!” Viktor said, a bright grin spreading quickly across his face. He walked toward the boards, and Yuuri followed silently, still looking around. “Yuuri and I were walking around, and I thought I would show him around the rink.”

“Even in your free time, I can’t get rid of you,” Yakov grumbled. Then he turned to Yuuri. “So, you’re finally here. Good to see you again. Now maybe Viktor will shut up about you.”

“Ahaha, Yakov, don’t be rude, it’s his first day here,” Viktor said, and Yuuri almost grinned at the note of tension in his voice.

“After listening to you whine and moan for a month, ‘Yuuri’s coming’ this, and ‘I can’t wait’ that, I think I’m entitled,” Yakov said flatly. “So when do you start practicing, Yuuri?”

“Uh, tomorrow, I think,” Yuuri said, looking at Viktor, who nodded.

“Good. Maybe now Vitya will actually focus on training instead of whining,” Yakov said, crossing his arms, smirking when Viktor’s face started to go red.

“Yakov, you’re getting senile in your old age,” Viktor said, trying to go for casual. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I think you’re the one going senile, old man,” said another voice, and Yuuri smiled when he saw Yuri approach the boards, stopping quickly and showering Yakov in ice. Yakov gritted his teeth, but otherwise said nothing. Yuuri was under the impression that this was not the first time that had happened. “For a month now, all it’s been is ‘Katsudon, Katsudon, Katsudon.’” Yuri held up his hands, clutching them tightly together, and raised the pitch of his voice. “‘Do you think Yuuri will remember to pack a heavier jacket?’ ‘Yuuri’s things arrived today, I can’t wait for him to get here!’ ‘I saw a sweater that I think Yuuri would like, should I buy it for him?’” Then Yuri’s face fell, and he stuck out his tongue. “You’re gross, Viktor. Embarrassing and gross.”

Viktor, whose face was redder than Yuuri had ever seen it, started talking animatedly to Yuri in Russian, then, and Yuuri had no idea what he said, but whatever it was made Yuri laugh and respond quickly, his voice sounding biting. The more they talked, however, the more Viktor started to relax, eventually giving Yuri a sincere smile. Yuuri, who had no idea what they were even talking about, chose to look around instead. Toward the further wall, he saw Mila, and waved shyly at her when she caught his eye. She beamed and waved back. He recognized Georgi, who didn’t notice him there, caught up as he was in his practice. There were a lot of other skaters he’d seen around before at competitions, but none he could recognize by name.

“Well,” Viktor finally said, switching back to English. His face was still a little pink, but he seemed less agitated now. “We should probably go. I’m showing him around town today, and this was only our first stop.”

“Have fun,” Yakov said bluntly. “And make sure you two are ready for practice tomorrow.”

Then Yuri said something in Russian that made Viktor’s entire face go even redder than before, and Yakov started shouting at him in Russian. 

“See you, Katsudon,” Yuri said, smirking and skating away, Yakov still shouting after him.

Viktor hurried them out of the rink after that.

“What did he say?” Yuuri asked curiously, as Viktor leashed Maccachin again and led them out of the complex. Judging by Viktor’s reaction, Yuuri could hazard a guess, but he wasn’t sure.

“Nothing I want to repeat,” Viktor said, looking away, and Yuuri laughed.

 

* * *

 

The rink was cold, but outside was even colder, and Yuuri’s eyes watered at the first gust of wind. It wasn’t snowing, but it had been the day before when Yuuri arrived, and it still completely obscured the ground.

“How long did it take you to adjust to the weather in Hasetsu?” Yuuri asked suddenly, shoving his hands in his pockets again. He was wearing gloves, and a heavy coat, and a scarf and a hat, and two long sleeved shirts under all that, but the wind cut through him as easily as if he were naked.

“Hm,” Viktor thought, tapping his chin. He looked down at Maccachin, who was sniffing a bush nearby, and paused so he could investigate whatever he was smelling. “Not very long, I don’t think. On my first day there, it had snowed too, remember?”

“I remember,” Yuuri said. He could probably live a thousand years and never forget that day.

“I’m used to the snow,” Viktor continued. “So it was fine at first. And then after that, the weather changed so gradually, it was like being here. In the summer, there were some days it got hotter than I was used to, but it gets really humid here in summer too, so it wasn’t unbearable.” Then he looked at Yuuri, who had hunched in on himself again, and gave him a sympathetic smile. “Do you want to get a taxi again? Or we could go home and just stay there, if it’s too cold for you.”

“No, no, no,” Yuuri said, tugging his hands out of his pockets so he could wave his hands hurriedly. “It’s not so bad. I just need to get used to it. I want to see...” Then he trailed off, and looked around. “This is your home. I want to see the places you thought about when you were in Hasetsu.”

Viktor hummed, and tugged gently on Maccachin’s leash. He bounded over, sending snow flying and glittering back to the ground, to amble beside Viktor, who put an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders as he led the way back to their apartment.

“It’s your home now, too,” Viktor said quietly, rubbing Yuuri’s arm in a futile attempt to warm him up. The serene smile from this morning was back, and he wasn’t looking at Yuuri, but Yuuri couldn’t look away from him. “I’m glad I can show it to you.”

Yuuri could feel the sappy smile on his face as he looked down at his feet. “Me too.”

 

* * *

 

It took barely twenty minutes to walk back to their apartment from the rink, and when they got there, and Viktor unhooked Maccachin’s leash, he hopped right onto the couch and curled up into a ball. Viktor took a moment to sit down next to him, and started scratching behind his ears. Yuuri watched him from the doorway, and his breath caught in his chest at the way the light made Viktor look soft. Angelic. 

For an instant, Yuuri imagined seeing this image every day, for the rest of his life. Viktor and Maccachin, resting on the couch, sunlight highlighting the prominent points of Viktor’s face, blurring the sharper angles, smiling down at a youthened Maccachin with that serene smile that had seen more use today alone than in all the time Yuuri had known him, seeming so comfortable, so at peace, that Yuuri could scarcely breathe for fear of disturbing the tranquility.

And suddenly, his heart ached. Could he step foot here without intruding? He wasn’t part of this, but he wanted to be. How could he put himself in this picture without ruining it?

Viktor seemed to sense his stillness and glanced over at him. Whatever he saw on Yuuri’s face made his peaceful smile turn eager, beseeching, and he raised an arm, hand extended in invitation.

Yuuri felt like he should tiptoe or risk shattering it. But he was invited, so he took Viktor’s hand and sat beside him.

The sun shone brightly in his eyes, so he closed them. Viktor’s arm wrapped around his back and pulled him closer, so he followed. His heart felt light, but his head felt heavy with warmth from the sunshine, so he rested it on Viktor’s shoulder. He took a deep breath and felt peace.

 

* * *

 

“If you fall asleep now, I won’t be able to show you much more before it gets dark,” Viktor murmured. Yuuri didn’t know how much time had passed since he sat down, but he knew he hadn’t spent a moment of it sleeping.

He picked his head up from Viktor’s shoulder and blinked slowly. “We should go, then.”

“Mmhmm,” Viktor sighed, but he made no move to get up. Instead, he tightened his arm around Yuuri’s side and pressed his lips to Yuuri’s temple for a brief moment, then tilted his head so that his forehead rested against Yuuri’s hair. It was all Yuuri could do not to shiver when every exhale of Viktor’s tickled his ear. Yuuri watched him out of the corner of his eye, and felt him nod.

“All right,” Viktor said quietly. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

Not five minutes later saw them back outside again, and Yuuri quietly followed where Viktor quietly led them. Maybe the wind had stopped, or maybe they’d been inside longer than Yuuri thought, but he felt a lot warmer now.

He could tell Viktor was deep in thought, so he didn’t interrupt. This meditative Viktor was a much different Viktor from the cheerful, chatty one of the morning, but Yuuri didn’t mind. Rather than feeling worried about what Viktor was thinking about, Yuuri felt relaxed. Comfortable. He would go where Viktor took him, and when Viktor wanted to talk, he would talk. Yuuri would wait.

Even after half an hour’s steady walk, Yuuri let Viktor think. They crossed over a bridge, and when they got halfway across, Yuuri recognized the Hermitage Museum in the distance, though he had only ever seen it in pictures. He followed curiously as Viktor headed toward it, but rather than walking toward the main entrance, he continued straight along its side, near a grove of trees, and made his way directly to an empty bench and sat down. Yuuri sat down next to him and waited.

“Chris was the one who sent me a link to the video,” Viktor said suddenly, and Yuuri looked at him. He was staring forward, unfocused. “Of you skating my program.”

“Stammi Vicino?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded. “After the banquet, I was curious about you. Chris was too, but. Not the same way as me, I don’t think. I don’t know where he found it, but as soon as he saw it, he sent it to me. I watched it on repeat for... oh, I don’t know. Maybe an hour? Maybe more.”

Yuuri wanted to be embarrassed by that, felt like he should be, but he wasn’t. So he stayed quiet.

“After I finally turned it off, I didn’t know what to think. You don’t remember it, Yuuri, and you might be embarrassed to hear it--if you are, I’m sorry--but at one point, I think after your dance-off with Yuri, you asked me to be your coach.”

Yuuri looked down at the ground at that. Viktor was right. He was embarrassed to hear it. 

“I knew you were drunk,” Viktor continued. “So I didn’t answer you. I didn’t want to say yes and have you remember it, only for me to forget about it. I knew you were a fan of mine even then. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“You did?” Yuuri asked, shocked. “How?”

Viktor hummed. “I could see it in how you skated,” he said slowly. “Little things. Ways you moved, or shifted between moves. Nobody else would have noticed, it wasn’t obvious, but. I could tell.”

Yuuri hummed, and turned away to watch as a couple walked down the sidewalk in the distance. 

“I would have said yes, though,” Viktor said softly. Yuuri’s eyes opened wide in surprise, and he turned in his seat to look at Viktor, who was staring at his folded hands. “If I had thought that it was something you truly wanted, and not just drunken ramblings. I wanted to say yes. There was something about you, and I couldn’t explain what it was, but as soon as I saw you, I wanted to get to know you better.”

“I can relate,” Yuuri said, grinning sideways at Viktor, who laughed.

“I’m not good at saying my feelings out loud,” Viktor said, and Yuuri could still hear the laughter in his voice “I guess what I’m really trying to say is that I’m glad I became your coach, Yuuri. I’m... very happy, with you. With you, being here with me.”

Yuuri opened his mouth, but found he couldn’t think of anything to say. He paused for a moment, then reached over and unclasped Viktor’s hands, and took one of them in his.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “I’m happy with you, too. I never thought....” He trailed off, humming, trying to direct his thoughts. But nothing was forthcoming, so he squeezed Viktor’s hand, and stood up instead.

“Come on,” he said warmly, locking eyes with Viktor. “It’s getting late. Are there any more places you want to show me?”

Viktor nodded, and stood up too. “A few,” he said, and he started leading Yuuri down the road, away from the Hermitage. “But that bench was an important place to me, too.”

“Really?” Yuuri asked. “Why?”

Viktor shifted uncomfortably for a moment, and Yuuri was so surprised by it, he almost missed when Viktor said, “That’s where I was when I decided to go to Japan.”

Yuuri’s jaw dropped, and he turned to take a final look at the bench before they got too far away. “You should have said so earlier!” Yuuri scolded. “I would have appreciated it more.”

Viktor laughed again. “Yuuri, it’s fine. It’s just a bench. Besides, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see it again. Nevsky Prospekt is this way, and that’s where a lot of things are. Also, where our next stop is.”

Yuuri turned to look at the bench one last time, but it was already hidden behind bushes and trees. He thought for a moment about what it might mean to him, were the situation reversed. To have decided on something so life changing in one spot, and to come back there, one year later, and know that that choice had been worthwhile. He turned back around, and carefully bumped his shoulder against Viktor. He looked down at him, a question in his eyes, but Yuuri just smiled, and followed where Viktor led them.

 

* * *

 

As they walked down Nevsky Prospekt, Viktor pointed places out as they walked down the street. Yuuri watched him carefully, making sure he didn’t hit passersby as his arms moved wildly around.

“Right now we’re passing a bunch of museums. Over that way is Дом великана, which is my favorite. It means ‘the Giant’s House.’ It’s a funny museum where everything’s really big, like it was made for giants. Over there is a hotel,” he said. And as they passed over a bridge, he said, “This is the Moyka river. Over there is the Stroganov Palace. It’s an art museum now. If you go a little ways down that street over there, you’d get to the grocery store I like to shop at, we’ll go sometime soon, I don’t know what I have at home right now. Over there is Zara, I used to shop there a lot. I think you’d like it, Yuuri, next time you need to go shopping, we should go. Oh, over there's Две палочки, they do sushi. It’s not as good as what I’ve had in Japan, but it’s still good. It attracts a lot of tourists, though. But there are a lot of restaurants and cafes on this street, I haven’t been to all that many of them. If you look over there, that’s the Kazan Cathedral. And here...” he stopped, and turned to face the building they were standing in front of. “This is where I wanted us to go.  Дом книги.”

“What is it?” Yuuri asked, looking up at the statues way up high, on either side of a large window.

“It’s a bookstore!” Viktor said cheerfully. “Let’s go inside.”

Surprised, Yuuri followed him in.

 

* * *

 

He was surprised by how large it was. Viktor led him around, pointing out the different sections. They went up a flight of stairs, and Viktor showed him around that floor, and then they went up another. Viktor seemed excited as they got to the landing, and led Yuuri to a section that seemed much more colorful than the rest of the store.

“Here, Yuuri, look!” he said, grabbing a book off the shelf and shoving it into Yuuri’s hands. Yuuri looked at it curiously, and Viktor continued, “It’s a book on the alphabet! It’s written for children, but it’s somewhere to start, right?”

Viktor looked so earnest and excited that Yuuri didn’t want to turn him down. “I already know the alphabet, Viktor,” he pointed out. “I just get a couple letters confused sometimes.” Viktor started to look put out, so Yuuri quickly added. “How about a book of vocabulary? That’d be much more helpful.”

“Good idea!” Viktor said, then started hurriedly looking through the shelves, occasionally opening one and flipping through it. Yuuri, in the meantime, passed the time half by looking at books himself, and half fondly watching Viktor as he moved down the row. Viktor had just put a book back on the end of the shelf and was about to grab another one when a tentative voice said, “Viktor Nikiforov?”

He turned to see a young girl of maybe eight or nine holding hands with an older woman who seemed to be her mother. When she saw Viktor’s face, the little girl beamed and started talking to him rapidly in Russian. Yuuri watched as Viktor’s smile morphed into the distant one that he used whenever cameras were nearby. The girl turned to her mother and tugged on her sleeve, asking her something, and the mother pulled out a small notebook and a pen and handed it to her daughter, who then held it up to Viktor, evidently asking him for an autograph. Viktor smiled cheerfully, and happily acquiesced. The little girl asked him something as he was signing his name, and as he handed the notebook and pen back to the girl, he pointed at Yuuri.

The girl’s eyes went, if it were possible, even wider. Yuuri watched Viktor’s smile turn back into a more personable, eager smile. Apparently, he was more excited that Yuuri got recognized than he was to get recognized himself, and he beckoned Yuuri over.

“This girl was just telling me that she was a big fan of our pair skate,” he told Yuuri, who looked at her and smiled.

“Очень спасибо,” Yuuri said, and he could hear how bad his own pronunciation was, but the little girl beamed all the same, and said something to him in very fast Russian. Yuuri turned helplessly to Viktor, who said something to the girl. She nodded, and asked Viktor a question, and he nodded, and said, “She wanted me to tell you that your free skate at the Grand Prix Final was the most beautiful routine she had ever seen, and that she wants to skate just like you someday. Also, she wants your autograph, if you don’t mind.”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, fighting a losing battle with a blush and nodding, and Viktor held his arms out for the notebook and pen again and handed them to Yuuri. “Should I sign it in English? Or Japanese? I don’t think I can write my name in Russian yet,” he said.

Viktor tapped his chin, then he turned to the girl and asked her a question. After she responded, he translated, “She said you can do both if you want. She can’t read Japanese, and she knows English letters, but she thinks your name in Japanese looks really cool.”

Yuuri blushed even redder, and signed his name twice, then said, “Can you tell her that I appreciate what she said about my free skate, and that I hope I get to see her compete in the Grand Prix someday?”

Viktor nodded, and translated for Yuuri, and the little girl smiled gratefully, and squeezed her mother’s hand. She said something, and Viktor said, “She said she won’t let you down. And she says good luck to both of us at Worlds. She’s excited to see you skate ‘Yuri on Ice’ again.”

“I’ll do my best,” Yuuri said, and the little girl seemed to understand. She said thank you again, and then her mom said something to her in Russian, thanked them both, and led her daughter away.

“Well, that was nice,” Viktor said, grinning at Yuuri. “I wish you could have understood what she was saying, Yuuri, she’s a very big fan of yours.”

“That’s surprising,” Yuuri said, following Viktor as he moved to the next aisle over. “I would think she would be a bigger fan of yours.”

Viktor shrugged indifferently. He didn’t seem bothered by it. In fact, he seemed downright delighted. “If she only started skating this year, she would have seen a lot more of you than of me. It’s likely; she was very young.”

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully, and waited while Viktor looked through some more books. Viktor eventually decided on two.

“This one has a lot of basic vocabulary, so you should start with this one,” he said, holding up one of them. Then he held up the other. “This one goes a little more in depth, but it also gives you ways to use the words in different parts of a sentence. I can help you if you have any questions, okay?”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, nodding. Viktor beamed.

“You’re going to learn Russian, Yuuri!” he exclaimed. “This is so exciting!”

Yuuri laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Oh, Yuuri, there’s a cafe over there,” Viktor said, pointing toward another corner of the store. “It’s been a while since breakfast. Are you hungry?”

Yuuri deliberated. “I could eat.”

“Let’s go then,” Viktor said, clutching the books to his side and leading the way.

 

* * *

 

They sat down with a couple of cups of tea. Viktor had ordered a sandwich, and Yuuri had caved to Viktor’s insistence and ordered borscht.

“I don’t like it that much,” Viktor admitted after he had taken a bite of his sandwich. “And if you don’t like it, we can get you something else, but I think it would be fun to try it anyways.” 

“What does it taste like?” Yuuri asked, stirring the spoon around, eyeing it cautiously. It was _very_ red.

Viktor pursed his lips. “It’s... a little sour, and a little savory. I’ve never had it from here, and every place uses a different recipe, so you might like it here and not like it somewhere else.”

“Hm,” Yuuri said, then scooped up a spoonful and lifted it to his mouth. He immediately dropped his spoon back in the bowl and covered his mouth with both hands, swallowing hurriedly. 

“You don’t like it?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri opened his mouth and started fanning his hands in front of it. “It was really hot!” he said, sucking in cool air. Viktor chuckled, and waited. “It wasn’t bad, though,” Yuuri finally said, when his mouth hurt a little less. “It’s a lot different from anything I’ve ever tasted before.” He picked his spoon back up, and blew on the broth to cool it a little before tasting another bite. “It’s a little strange,” Yuuri said slowly. “But I kind of like it.”

Viktor smiled and kept eating his sandwich. “After we’re done here, there’s one more place I want to show you, and then we can go home.”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, reaching for his tea.  “Well, then.” He thought for a minute, then lifted his coffee cup and said, “ За здоровье.”

Viktor laughed. “Your pronunciation could use some work.” Then he sighed, and gave Yuuri the same serene smile, lifted his own teacup and said, “За здоровье.”

“За здоровье,” Yuuri repeated more slowly.

“За,” Viktor said.

“За.”

Viktor nodded. “Здо. Ро. Вье.”

“Здоровье.”

Viktor chuckled. “Much better.” Then he sipped from his tea, put it down, then crossed his arms on the table, leaning over it, locking eyes with Yuuri. “You know, usually people say that before they start eating.”

Yuuri laughed. “I’ve been trying to find a time to say it all day,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s one of the phrases I actually remembered, but it never came up.”

“Are you trying to impress me, Yuuri?” Viktor teased.

“That depends. Did it work?”

Viktor’s laugh came easy and carefree. For a second, Yuuri was reminded of their time in Hasetsu, when Yurio had made Viktor laugh. At the time, it had made Yuuri feel... distant. Outside. To hear Viktor laugh that same comfortable laugh with him made him feel warm. 

“You are a treasure, Yuuri,” Viktor said. “You don’t have to impress me, мое золоце.”

Yuuri laughed too, but he was thinking about what Viktor had said at the end. “Zolotse,” he didn’t know, but “moyo” meant “my.” “My something.” Well. That was new. He smiled at Viktor, and kept eating his soup. If it meant Viktor was happy, he’d be his anything.

 

* * *

 

It was starting to get dark by the time they finished their late lunch, bought their books, and got outside. The streets were a little less congested with pedestrian traffic by that point, but not by much; for being mid-February, it seemed a lot of people didn’t mind being outdoors. Yuuri followed Viktor as he led them across a bridge next to the bookstore (“Дом книги,” Yuuri thought, trying to associate it with its Russian name), and then for a walk along the canalside. The canal, which Viktor told him was called the Griboyedov Canal, was frozen over the top, dimly reflecting the streetlights.

“Do people skate on that?” Yuuri asked curiously.

Viktor frowned. “Uh, I don’t think it would be a good idea. I’m pretty sure that ice isn’t thick enough. But if you want to go skating somewhere outdoors, there’s this place not very far away called Елагин остров. They have a very nice outdoor rink, and some skating paths that are really neat. We should go before it gets warm, I think that would be fun.”

“I’d like that,” Yuuri said, smiling. Viktor grinned.

“I’ll look into it, then,” he said. 

Like earlier, as they walked, he pointed things out. Yuuri was less worried about him hitting pedestrians this time, although the way he swiveled around where he walked to point to things on either side of the canal definitely attracted him funny looks.

“That’s Музей Эмоций. It’s... interesting. If you go down that way, you can see where Isaak Brodksy lived. They exhibit a lot of his paintings. Right across from that is Mikhailovsky square, and right next to it is Mikhailovsky Theater. I don’t know if you like theater, Yuuri, but we could go there some time if you want. Over there is the Russian Museum. They show a lot of famous Russian artwork. Do you like museums, Yuuri?”

“Yeah, museums are all right.”

“Good, because Saint Petersburg has a lot of them. If we went to one museum every day it would take us a long time to go to all of them,” Viktor said. Then he exclaimed, “Oh! Look ahead, Yuuri, look!”

Yuuri looked forward and saw a familiar-looking building, but he had no idea what it was called.

“ Церковь Спаса на Крови,” Viktor said as they walked closer to it. “Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. You know, when I lived here before, I never really thought about it, but showing you around here makes me realize just how pretty it is.”

“Do they do church services there?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor shook his head. “No,” he said. “It’s mostly a tourist attraction now. They used to do memorial services there, but I don’t know if they still do. It was closed for a long time for restoration.”

“It is very pretty,” Yuuri agreed as they finally neared it. 

“We should take a selfie!” Viktor said, pulling out his phone. “It would make a cool background.”

Yuuri laughed. He’d been waiting for Viktor to start taking pictures. “Okay.”

“Come here,” Viktor said, and he threw his arm over Yuuri’s shoulder and smiled, turning the camera’s view to selfie mode. “Smile!”

Yuuri grinned widely, feeling his eyes close as he heard the phone snap the picture. He opened his eyes to take a look.

“Look how well it came out! On our first take, too. Look, Yuuri!” Viktor showed him the phone. Yuuri took a good look at it, and it turned out Viktor was right. It was a very flattering photo of the two of them, the streetlights making them look golden, the lights of the cathedral behind them in very clear focus. 

“I like it,” Yuuri said happily. 

“Can I post it on Instagram?” Viktor asked. 

Surprised that he was being asked permission, Yuuri nodded. “Would you send it to me? I know he’ll see it after you post it, but I want to send it to Phichit, he texted me this morning asking what we’d be doing today, and I never got back to him.”

“Sure,” Viktor said, and a moment later, Yuuri felt his phone buzzing with a message. He saved the picture to his phone, then forwarded it to Phichit with, “We went sightseeing today! Having a lot of fun in Saint Petersburg. What are you up to today?” Then he pocketed his phone and turned to Viktor.

“Is this where you wanted to show me?” he asked.

“No, no. It was just on our way. Come on, we’re not far now.”

 

* * *

 

They walked all the way around the cathedral, and then crossed a bridge. “This is the Moyka river again,” he explained as they walked along it’s embankment on the far side from the cathedral. “It curves through the city from the Fontanka up ahead to the Neva back near home.”

“What’s that over there?” Yuuri asked, pointing to their left.

“Марсово Поле,” Viktor informed him. “The Field of Mars. It’s a park, but mostly it’s a memorial site. Those who died during the February Revolution were buried there, as well as other famous revolutionaries from that time.” Then he smiled. “That’s not where we’re going, but the park next to it.”

“We’re going to the park?” Yuuri asked. The only famous landmark he had shown Yuuri today was a bench next to the Hermitage. What significance did this park have to him, Yuuri wondered.

“Yeah. Летний сад. In English you would call it Summer Garden. It’s the garden that they built with Peter the Great’s Summer Palace. Here, come on, it’s open for about another hour, we can walk it.”

Yuuri followed him through the small gate in front of them. Snow and pebbles crunched under their feet as they passed a large pond. All the trees were bare of leaves, but frosted over with ice and snow. Around them, many couples or families walked the same paths, and Yuuri was reminded of breakfast, when he’d pointed out all the couples and Viktor had laughed. He was about to ask again, when Viktor said, “I guess this place isn’t really significant. I don’t have any specific memories here. It’s prettier in the summer, but it’s pretty in winter, too. I like to take Maccachin for walks here when the weather is nice.” 

“It’s beautiful, even in the snow,” Yuuri said, and he meant it. “All these paths are like a maze.”

“Yeah,” Viktor agreed. “There are a lot of paths around, and there’s a lot to see. Statues, and fountains, and near the other side is the Summer Palace. Can we go see them?”

Yuuri nodded, and they kept walking.

They didn’t talk much after that. Yuuri had once again forgotten to ask Viktor about the couples, as they came across very few people after that. They had walked for about five minutes in silence when Yuuri’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from Phichit.

“Just resting after training,” the text read. “Ciao Ciao’s got me working hard! But that sounds so romantic, Yuuri! A nice way to spend your first Valentine’s Day together, huh?”

There was more to the text, but Yuuri didn’t read it. He froze in place, staring at the words ‘Valentine’s Day,’ in complete shock.

Viktor took a moment to notice he’d stopped walking, and turned back to face him. “Yuuri?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

Yuuri looked back and forth from his phone to Viktor, and suddenly, everything made sense. Why Viktor had let him sleep in, and why he wanted to spend the day together. All the couples, and Viktor laughing about it. Why Viktor had been so happy today, and why he had made that confession earlier, outside the Hermitage. This was a date, and Yuuri had had no idea.

“It’s  _ Valentine’s Day _ ,” Yuuri hissed. “And I completely forgot!”

Viktor walked to his side, laughing. “How did you finally figure it out?”

“Phichit texted me back and mentioned it,” Yuuri said, holding up his phone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Viktor shrugged, suddenly sheepish. “I knew you’d figure it out eventually,” he said apologetically. “But I figured, if you didn’t know, it might be less pressure for you. You’ve never spent Valentine’s Day with anyone, you told me that. I didn’t want you to feel nervous. And in the meantime, we could have a nice day together, and when you figured it out, we could just... keep having fun.” 

“Oh,” Yuuri said, his eyebrows raised, and he looked at the ground.

“Are you mad?” Viktor asked, grabbing Yuuri’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “I’m sorry, Yuuri. Please don’t be mad. If you didn’t figure it out, I’d have told you eventually, but I didn’t want to--”

“No, no, Viktor, I’m not mad,” Yuuri interrupted. Viktor had started babbling, and Yuuri figured he’d cut him off before he’d made himself nervous. “Not at all. I just can’t believe we were spending the whole day together and I didn’t figure it out.”

“Well, you were busy,” Viktor pointed out. “Between training and arranging to move here, and then actually moving here, you must have lost track of the time. I would have, too, if it were me.”

“I’m sorry, Viktor,” Yuuri said, rubbing his arm with his free hand and avoiding Viktor’s eyes. “I forgot about Valentine’s Day. I could have....”

Viktor just smiled. “You could have, what? Spent the whole day with me, had breakfast and lunch with me, let me show you around some of my favorite places in the world, and agreed to learn Russian for me?”

Yuuri blushed. “Well, not just for you...” he muttered.

“It’s okay, Yuuri,” Viktor said, chuckling. “Whether you knew it was Valentine’s Day or not, we’ve still had a nice time. Are still having a nice time, I think, unless this ruined it?”

Yuuri shook his head. “Of course not.”

Viktor squeezed his hand. “Then let’s keep walking. We’re almost about to start seeing some statues, and they look very pretty in the snow.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed, and trailed along next to Viktor. They kept their hands linked this time, and kept them there as they walked around the park, down the Palace Embankment along the Neva river, and all the way home.

 

* * *

 

When they got home, Yuuri gratefully removed his coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, and took off one layer of shirts, and took a deep breath. Viktor’s apartment was very warm, and Yuuri could feel his nose and cheeks tingling.

“So, what would you like to do for dinner?” Viktor asked, as he stamped his shoes to rid them of extra snow. He reached over to the coat stand and grabbed Maccachin’s leash. “I have to take Maccachin out, but I could grab something on the way back? Or I could make something. I don’t know what I have in the fridge, but I could put something together.”

“Actually, would you mind if I made dinner?” Yuuri asked. “To make up for forgetting about Valentine’s Day.”

Viktor grinned wryly, shaking his head. “You don’t have anything to make up for, but if you want to cook, by all means, go ahead.” 

Yuuri smiled, and headed to the kitchen, and Viktor leashed Maccachin and headed back out. “I shouldn’t be too long,” he called from the door. “Twenty minutes or so.”

“Be careful,” Yuuri said, opening the fridge. Viktor hadn’t been kidding when he said he didn’t have much. Yuuri went through the fridge, the freezer, and all the cabinets, and couldn’t find anything that would fit a recipe he knew of, so he decided to improvise. He washed and chopped vegetables, and was just starting to work on defrosting some chicken from the freezer when Viktor came home, Maccachin barking excitedly and jumping up on Yuuri.

“Ah! Maccachin, your paws are cold!” Yuuri exclaimed, backing up.

“He’s ready for his dinner,” Viktor said, laughing. He reached in one of the cabinets and pulled out his food, and poured some into a bowl. When Maccachin was settled, chewing loudly as he ate his food, Viktor slinked up behind Yuuri and peered over his shoulder.

“So what are you making?” he asked curiously, watching as Yuuri filled the sink with hot water.

“Well, you were right, there wasn’t much here to work with, but you had some vegetables, so I made a salad, and I’m going to fry this chicken with some breadcrumbs on it. It won’t be anything amazing, but it’ll do until we can go grocery shopping.”

“Then we’ll go tomorrow. I made an exception for today, but going out to eat as often as we did today is not a good diet for figure skaters,” Viktor said.

“A cheat day?” Yuuri joked.

“A special day,” Viktor corrected. 

Yuuri smiled down at the sink, which was just full enough to fully submerge the chicken so it would defrost faster, and once it was, he turned where he was to face Viktor. 

“About that,” Yuuri said shyly, averting his gaze to the side. He bit his lip, then pushed off from the counter and wrapped his arms around Viktor’s shoulders, hugging him tightly, burying his face in Viktor’s chest. Viktor was surprised for a moment, then he gingerly put his arms around Yuuri’s sides.

It was everything, really. It was being here in Viktor’s home, in his country, in his life. It was being welcomed so readily, so eagerly. It was sleeping in and sharing breakfast and joking and laughing and spending a day together. It was being in his apartment, alone, fixing dinner, and feeling more at home here after a day than he’d ever felt after almost five years in Detroit. It was the comfortable domesticity that they had fallen into in Japan, which had transferred so easily to Russia. It was the relief of being by his side again after a month--a very long, very lonely month--of being separated. 

It was spending his first Valentine’s Day with someone who cared so much. 

It meant everything to him.

“Thank you,” Yuuri whispered into Viktor’s shirt. “For everything. For inviting me here. And being my coach. And letting me sleep in and spending the day with me and showing me around, and--”

Yuuri felt more than heard Viktor start to laugh. “It’s okay, Yuuri,” Viktor said softly, nuzzling the side of his face against Yuuri’s hair. “I know what you mean.”

“Thank you,” Yuuri breathed. From where his ear had ended up, he could hear Viktor’s heartbeat, and it perfectly mirrored the peace of the moment.  _ Thump... thump... thump... _

He wanted to hear it go faster.

With more grace than he thought he had any right to have, he quickly pulled back from Viktor, and pushed him so that his lower back leaned against the island counter behind them. He put on his most mischievous expression, and Viktor blinked. Before he could psych himself out of it, he tangled his fingers together behind Viktor’s neck and pulled him down to press their lips together.

“Hm!” Viktor hummed in surprise, but he didn’t pull away. Yuuri just pushed him harder against the counter and leaned into him, so their bodies were pressed flush against each other, and he ran one of his hands up into Viktor’s hair, gripping it gently, the other trailing down to his lower back, just above where it was pressed into the counter. When Viktor pulled back a little to breathe, Yuuri chased after him, relentless. Lips followed lips, hands explored backs, and Yuuri tightened his grip in Viktor’s hair, causing him to inhale sharply through his nose.

“Yuuri, what...?” Viktor gasped when Yuuri finally pulled away. 

Yuuri put his ear to Viktor’s chest, and when he heard the hurried  _ thumpthumpthump _ of Viktor’s heart, he grinned. “Mission accomplished.”

“Yuuuuuriiiiii,” Viktor groaned. “Is that all you kissed me for?”

Yuuri laughed and tugged Viktor back down to his level, carefully this time, and kissed him again. And again. And again.

 

* * *

 

 

They completely forgot about dinner.

And when they showed up to the rink the next day, sleepy, tousle-haired, and in no fit shape to practice, Yakov just grumbled and shouted at them to get to work, debating with himself the pros and cons of early retirement.

**Author's Note:**

> One last note: You may have noticed that, for it being his first full day of living in a foreign country whose language he has only a basic grasp of, Yuuri was surprisingly not nervous. I idealized again. Apologies. I feel like, by this point in their relationship, being around Viktor calms him considerably. Obviously not all the time, but enough so that, if they're spending a day together and Viktor is showing him around and explaining things to him, Yuuri is probably in the most low-pressure environment he could be in that situation. (And Viktor knows that. Hence why he kept the big reveal about it being Valentine's Day to himself. Was he right to do so? Vote now in the comments!)
> 
> Moving on to translations. 
> 
> Санкт Петербург: (sankt pi-tehr-BURG) Saint Petersburg.
> 
> Спасибо: (spa-SI-ba) Thank you.
> 
> *Визе: (vi-zeh) Yuuri misread, no translation.
> 
> *Бизе: (bi-zeh) A [cafe](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0a/fb/92/5f/20160422-190831-largejpg.jpg) in Saint Petersburg. [Also their menu.](http://bize.spb.ru/menu/restoran)
> 
> 頂きます: (i-ta-da-ki-mahs) Something you say before eating, a show of gratitude for the food. This one's Japanese, in case you couldn't tell.
> 
> Сырники: (SYR-ni-ki) Pancakes made with curdled cheese. You CAN eat them plain, I GUESS, but they're really good with fruit toppings, honey, and my Russian teacher liked them with sour cream.
> 
> *Дом великана: (DOHM veh-li-KA-na) [House of Giants.](http://cityguidespb.ru/uploads/posts/2015-03/1427726085_0_e93cd_45648b16_orig.jpg) It's just. A museum filled with things scaled largely.
> 
> *Две палочки: (dvYEH pa-LO-chki) [Two Wands.](http://restojob.ru/media/brend/photos/1414560708.01.jpg) A touristy kind of restaurant that has a wide variety of menu fare.
> 
> *Zara: [A clothing store.](http://petersburg4u.com/files/uploads/Nevsky-Prospekt08.jpg) [Here's their website.](http://www.zara.com/ru/en/) It's spelled in English, but I wanted to include it here.
> 
> *Дом книги: (DOHM KNI-gi) [House of Books.](https://lynneayersbeyondthebrush.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/dscn3347-former-singer-building-known-as-dom-knigi-the-house-of-books-nevsky-prospekt-28-sl-8x6.jpg) Formerly the Singer House. The [cafe](https://s.inyourpocket.com/gallery/90970.jpg) they ate at in this building is called "Cafe Singer." Oh what do you know, [their menu comes pre-translated. Nice!](http://singercafe.ru/en/menu/)
> 
> Очень спасибо: (O-chen spa-SI-ba) Thank you very much.
> 
> За здоровье: (za zdah-RO-vyeh) A toast. Literally “for health.”
> 
> Мое золоце: (mah-YO za-LO-tseh) My gold. Because Viktor is a big schmoop. What else would he even CALL Yuuri. (And just for the sake of pointing it out, possessive pronouns always follow the gender of the noun, not of the speaker or of the listener). Russian has a lot of really cute endearments, so researching this specific piece was actually a lot of fun for me.
> 
> *Елагин остров: (yehl-AH-gin OH-strov) [Yelagin Island](http://www.saint-petersburg.com/images/islands/yelagin-ostrov/skating-rink-on-yelagin-island-in-st-petersburg.jpg), home to a large park dedicated to physical activity. The picture linked here is of the outdoor skating rink. Yelagin Island apparently has a lot of fun things going on year-round.
> 
> *Музей Эмоций: (mu-ZEY eh-mohts-y) [Museum of Emotions.](http://where.ru/media/pic/ano/8/muzey_emotsiy.jpg) A lot of exhibits that showcase and invoke different emotions in the viewers. For me, most of those emotions were discomfort. Please, click the link and follow me, your unwilling and unwitting tour guide into the Uncanny Valley.
> 
> *Церковь Спаса на Крови: (tsEHR-kov spa-sa na KROH-vi) [Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood.](http://wetu.com/ImageHandler/1280x1280/82353/anna_021.jpg) I chose a picture of it at night because that is what Yuuri would have seen. I'm not going to lie to y'all, I would probably kill a man to see this in person. Someday....
> 
> *Марсово Поле: (MAR-sa-va PO-leh) [Field of Mars](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/RUS-2016-Aerial-SPB-Field_of_Mars.jpg), a memorial site for those who participated or died in the February Revolution. In the foreground of the picture, along the bottom left, is our next/last location.
> 
> *Летний сад: (LEHT-niy sahd) Summer Gardens, built with Peter the Great’s Summer Palace. I'm not going to include a picture because there are too many beautiful pictures of this place, and I can't pick one. On a completely separate topic, one that is one hundred percent unrelated to the events of this fic, it is known for being one of the most romantic spots in Saint Petersburg.
> 
> Well, if you got this far, you have my sincerest condolences, and my utmost gratitude. Hope you guys liked the fic! :D


End file.
